sealing wood

[1971ford]

Anyone know about wood??

I put all pressure treated 2x6's in the flatbed i built for the highboy. They're of course still wet from the treating.
I put them in the bed, it was sunny for a day, then rained a little the next day, and has been sunny the last two days.

But i should seal them right? Any sealer at the local store will do??
Is it ok if the boards get rained on a couple more times or do i need to rush to the hardware store for sealer and seal them up before they get wet again?
should the boards be totally dry before i seal them (several days in sun?)??

[fordman]

treated lumber doesnt need sealed. wait about a year. and then power wash it and you can stain the wood to help keep it nice looking. instead of turned grey and weathered looking.

[Racer Z]

Solid wood (not plywood, not particle board) will last for years untreated. If you want to seal it and finish it, you should let it "season" a bit to dry some first. Then sand it good. The sanding will remove the thin layer of patina and get it ready for sealing and painting.

There are wood sealers that you can use to treat the bare wood, primer over the sealer if you want to paint it. I like the look of wood and prefer varnish. Use a "marine" quality vanish for better longevity. "Spar Varnish" comes to mind.

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

my dad used untreated boards and painted them with used motor oil. 14 years later they are still in good shape

treated wood is injected with arsenic and other stuff and it shouldn't rot out very easily since they are intended for contact with the ground and to be buried in soil, in my experience working at an outdoor lumber yard any treated boards left out in the sun twisted up like pretzels so we kept them covered at all times.

[fordman]

the older treated wood was treated with a chemical that did have arsenic in it. or it could have been gotten from the copper in the treatment. the new treated lumber ACQ has a different treatment to it. instead of getting arsenic from it. the new treatment has a acid in it. and it can eat certain types of fasteners. so only certain types of fasteners should be used with the new ACQ. stainless ceramic coated and i think certain types of galvanized fasteners. oil does work very good on wood as a treatment fo rnon treated wood.

[Mancar1]

You have already received good advice. No need to treat it. If you do put anything on it wait till next year. Guess I am just agreeing with what you have already heard. Bet the bed looks nice.

[ccryder2011]

fordman is right about fasteners...stainless is the best,ceramic coated and thick coat galvanized are also acceptable but will probably corrode long before the wood does....you can ask at any lumberyard or home center building/ lumber dept. for the best choice of fasteners...ive been building decks a long time and have seen 1/2 inch carraige bolts dissinigrate over the course of a couple years but pressure treated lumber is rated for 40 with ground contact and usually only warps and twists if left unsecured for a long time(like when laying in a pile at the local lumber yard uncovered)hope this helps

[Ranchero50]

Ditto, I wouldn't use PT, just regular oak 1x6's with a good coating a oil (motor or linsead). Be aware that the new PT will eat aluminum and is just plain nasty.

[hazelnut]

I agree with Ranchero 50, All wood decking thats on heavy equipment trailers is oak. The inside boards that gets oil leaked on them last forever, If you use oak decking boards put thin wt oil on it and let it soak in, the rain will wash off the excess. I would use 1 1/2"x8 on the decking and it would last 40 years or more and be thick enuff that your not going to break one if you a drop engine from 2 foot in the air on it.

[jzjames]

Yeah your pre treated boards are good, leave alone for a period of time as stated.
After a year or two, throw something on it. I like the motor oil idea. Or maybe some good oil based deck stain.

Ive got a wood bed in the stepside. All wood will weather if left exposed to the elements. I tried putting drying oil on my white oak boards but it has weathered right off in the Northwest rain. I'll throw some motor oil on it eventually.

[Racer Z]

Oak is naturally weather resistant, very strong and looks damn good. Solid oak is the number one choice for those reasons.

Teak and mahogany are even more weather resistant, but cost a lot more. That's why boats use teak and mahogany. Oak is to heavy to be used for decking, would ruin the CG.

Even standard pine 2x6 will last a long time and at a lower price. Coating them with any kind of oil really adds to the longevity. Linseed oil, motor oil, oil based stain, even cooking oil will work.

Paste wax works wonders on lots of things. I use it on my moisture sensitive shop equipment and have used it on outdoor (wood) furniture. I'm talking about automotive paste wax, carnauba wax is the best.

[FLATBEDFORD]

I milled all this White Oak with a friend of mine last year to redo my flatbed. I Still haven't gotten around to the put it on the truck. I know this doesn't answer your question, I just wanted to show off my home milled Oak.




You should let the PT dry for a while before you do anything to it. Maybe less than a year in the dry weather where you live.

[frankc67]

As everyone else says, don't do anything now, let it dry out some, maybe towards the end of summer/fall stain & seal it. If you do it now the treatment will Leach threw the stain and sealer.

[1971ford]

Thanks everyone!

[cdeal28078]

White Oak is pretty good outside but Red Oak is not that great. It is more of an open grain wood. WHite Oak is more of a closed grain wood.
There is a Marine Varnish I used a couple years ago that was great. I will try to find the name of it. There was a 1 year study done by one of the WWing mags testing all of the top varnishes and this was the best by far. ABout $40 a quart also.
I'll find it
Found it. Epiphanes is the brand name. It is the UV 1000 I used on a sail boat hatch and railings. After the 1st year of this boat sitting outside all winter the finish was perfect still. I was on Mahogany not that it matters. Sold me. Fine Woodworking did the test on the varnishes and oils.
clint